Christmas Gift Etiquette – It is wrong to re-gift?

18 Dec 2012 Everton Park 0 Comment

After much debate in our Professionals Keith Brady Real Estate office, we thought we’d ask you, our trustee Everton Park community… what is the correct Christmas present etiquette? When we’re all spending these final weeks before Christmas wandering through various shopping malls and madly scrolling thumbnails in online stores in search for the perfect Christmas gifts, many conversations have been sparked within our office of good Christmas gift-giving protocol. When trying to stay within a budget, what are the acceptable do’s and don’ts of gift giving?

As far as we can determine, the correct etiquette is roughly as follows:

Re-gifting is generally acceptable… providing you don’t get caught! If you plan to re-gift something, take note of who you received it from first. We’ve all heard stories of friends re-gifting a lovely floral vase to Aunty Agnes, unaware that she’d given it to them the year before. Providing you’ve been careful to cover your tracks, and you honestly believe the recipient will love the gift, we have no issues with this.

It is not okay to read a book first before wrapping it for a loved one. While you may have been itching to get your hands on a copy of ‘Fifty Shades’ or the latest ‘Warnie’ biography, dog-ears and coffee stained pages are not the greatest way to show someone how much you love them at Christmas. It’s always best to resist the temptation, and ask the recipient for a loan once they’ve read it first.

Gifting something you’ve received for free can be tricky, as most giveaways are emblazoned with company logos and the like. However, it’s fine to place your freebie under the tree if you’ve managed to score something truly worthy of wrapping, such as tickets to a much sought-after show/event or a great bottle of wine.

What about buying a gift for your partner because you know you’ll also get to enjoy the benefits (which could be anything from concert tickets to a coffee machine)? Surely this too is alright as long as the gift is something the recipient will love, but perhaps it’s best to be subtle.

Is buying somebody a gym membership ever okay? Only if they’ve begged you for it! Christmas morning around the tree is hardly the time or place to unveil your wish for a more chiselled spouse.

Finally, once Christmas Day is done and dusted, will you be heading for the Boxing Day sales to exchange items that aren’t to your taste? Generally this won’t be frowned upon if you’re merely getting something in the correct size, or making a swap after you’ve received something you already own five of. However, be careful. Asking for the receipt within seconds of tearing off the wrapping paper may offend some people if they’ve tried hard to find you the perfect present.